Out Of Our Grasp
by DubzNChloe
Summary: When a new student arrives at Alfred's school from Japan, Alfred can't help but be fascinated. As the two bond over things like video games and anime, Alfred and Kiku realize that their feelings are out of their grasp. But, is it really worth ruining the friendship? Human and highschool AU, rated M for language and later chapters. Collaboration with Dubstepnation. Updated weekly.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys! It's Chloe. So, Dubstepnation and I wanted to try something new. I bring you: Ameripan! We haven't put anything out in a long time, and ameripan isn't a very common ship, so we figured- why not? Hopefully you like it~ if you'd like to see some of our other work, you can check out the story on my account, Against All Odds, or the one on her account, How To Save A Life. Please enjoy! If you find a typo (there definitely might be one) feel free to let me know. If you have questions, you can pm me. Reviews are welcomed, but no flames please. Neither I nor Dubstepnation own any part of Hetalia, we only own this plotline. And, this is a human and high school AU. Enjoy~_

* * *

It was the first day of school, a fresh start for everyone. In this particular school, most of its inhabitants had known each other since childhood, so one might say that it wasn't _really _a fresh start, but there was definitely something that seemed new about seeing people you hadn't seen for three months, all dressed up in new clothes and different haircuts and back from wherever they had gone.

However, one student was getting an especially fresh start. His name was Kiku Honda.

Kiku looked around at everyone. The school seemed to have an abundance of cultural diversity. He heard all sorts of different accents speaking rapidly, some switching into other languages at times, and there were _so many_ people.

"Look, all I'm saying is, you're spelling it wrong, man. What is it with you and using 's' instead of 'z'?" Alfred said as he bickered back and forth with his longtime friend, Arthur, over the spelling of 'realized'. Or was it 'realised'? That was what the whole dispute was over, anyway. He didn't even notice the new student walk in.

The student in question sat down alone, praying no one would sit next to him. It was hard enough being a new student where everyone had known each other. He was sixteen, in what he had been informed was his junior year of high school. He was so nervous. He had also discovered, upon asking for directions to his classroom, that he had an inability to say the 'L' sound, which was slightly humiliating.

"Alfred, I believe that's my seat, _oui_?" Francis said, standing next to the desk Alfred had borrowed to talk with Arthur.

"Ha, right, sorry bro!" the American told him with a broad grin as he headed over to his seat, which he had claimed during his freshman year. So many familiar faces, and everyone had their routine.

Which was why he was surprised to find a new student in the desk right next to it. He slid into his seat just as the bell rang. Glancing down at his schedule, he realized this class was physics. Great, just great. As the teacher started class, Alfred tuned him out and surveyed the Japanese boy next to him with interest.

Kiku looked at the American boy sitting next to him. He had noticed him earlier, talking with that other blonde boy that appeared to be English, or had at least sounded like it. This boy was definitely good-looking, with a strong build, gold-colored hair, and sparkly looking blue eyes. And confident, too. Kiku hadn't spoken to him yet, but he could just tell. The boy simply radiated confidence and friendliness.

As he noticed the dark-haired boy looking at him, Alfred gave him his trademark smile, the one that made girls (and some boys) swoon. He wasn't voted "best smile" in the yearbook for the last six years for no reason. Who was this guy, anyway? He was cute. Alfred had never seen him before. He had straight, dark hair, and pretty brown eyes. His skin was pale and smooth-looking and he had an air of calm about him.

"H-hello..." Kiku said nervously to the American. Only, it came out 'herro'. Thankfully, the other either didn't notice, or opted not to say anything. Either way, Kiku was grateful. He had had enough teasing (although it wasn't malicious) from the red-headed Italian boy he had asked for directions. However, Feliciano, as he introduced himself, while friendly, had been no help and had to ask _his _friend, a large, blonde German, for directions. Speaking of which, they were actually in this class as well. All he could think was that they made a wonderful couple.

"Hiya! I'm Alfred F. Jones! What's your name?" the blonde asked him, breaking him from his silent reflection. In truth, Alfred had noticed, but only found it slightly endearing. Class hadn't started yet, so everyone was still chattering.

"My name is Honda Kiku."

"Honda? Like the car?" Alfred grinned. "So, where you from, Honda?"

"I am from Japan." He said, getting the impression that Alfred must not like him if he would call him by his family name.

"Dude, that's so cool!" the American half-shouted. "Like, Tokyo? Do you eat sushi? And pufferfish? And there's lots of anime? Wow, I bet you're really smart, aren't you? Aren't all Asians smart? You seem so cool, hey, isn't Japan where they have those really crowded trains?" he asked in a rapid-fire fashion.

"Uh, yes, yes, yes, yes, I like to think so, not necessarily, thank you, and yes, during rush hour." He responded to the best of his ability, a little bit used to those sorts of questions. "And I also like video games, if you're about to ask that."

The blonde's blue eyes lit up. "I love video games! Which ones do you pl-"

Alfred was cut off as the teacher began to speak, announcing that they were going to do an activity to help them get to know each other. Most of the students rolled their eyes, as they did this every year, and Francis made an innuendo about 'getting to know' Arthur quite well.

Kiku looked at Alfred. It would be nice to know more about this interesting character. He seemed nice, if a little overexcitable.

"Partner up, everyone!" the teacher said as he began passing out pieces of paper. There was a scramble as everyone attempted to find a partner, a horrified look on Ivan's face as Natalia possessively wrapped her arms around him, causing Alfred to snort. The American in question leaned towards Kiku. "Hey, Honda, wanna be my partner?"

"Oh, certainly." Kiku replied. He was surprised, after all, it seemed like Alfred would be the type to hang around the 'cool kids', and he wasn't one of them.

Alfred grinned as, in the background, his brother stuttered in acceptance as Gilbert informed him that 'the awesome Gilbert' would like to be his partner. "Here you go, Alfred." the teacher said, handing him and Kiku worksheets filled with questions like, "What is your partner's favorite food?" and things of the sort.

"So Alfred, what is your favorite book?" Kiku asked, reading from the paper.

"Uhh." Alfred said, brows crinkling in thought. "... The Great Gatsby." he answered, a little embarrassed. Now he sounded like a dork. However, their school was a very elite private school. You had to at least have _some_ brains to get in. "And... Favorite hobby?"

"I like to play video games and read manga or watch anime in my spare time." He said, "Favorite movie?"

"Coolio." the American said as he wrote that down. "I like Captain America!" said happily. "Favorite food?"

"I like sushi." Kiku answered, "What is yours?"

"Burgers, man!" the blonde grinned. "They're like, the only thing I eat." he laughed. "Favorite sport?"

"Baseball." He said, "Yours?"

"You like baseball?" Alfred asked with raised eyebrows. This surprised him; after all, he had thought baseball was purely an American sport. "They have that in Japan?"

"It is the most popular sport in Japan. People sometimes get killed over it." Kiku explained calmly.

"O- oh." said Alfred, startled by this answer. "Cool."

After they had finished the worksheet and turned it in, Alfred dragged the Japanese boy over to Arthur and Francis.

"Looky! He's new! His name is Honda! Honda Kiku!" Alfred informed the two, who had been glaring daggers at each other before his arrival.

"... Alfred, you git. In Japan they say their last names first. His name is Kiku." Arthur corrected with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey!" Alfred complained. "I'm not a g- g- whatever you just called me, what is that anyway?"

"You're a right wanker and you know it." Arthur replied.

"Oh, you remember those scones you made me last week, when I went to your house? They tasted like couch stuffing." Alfred said, still pouting over the insults he had received, although he didn't know what they meant.

"How dare you insult my cooking! I worked hard to make those for you, and-"

"No, no, it's no problem, he didn't understand." Kiku said, cutting the two off. An argument over his name wasn't necessary.

Alfred blinked before laughing, albeit with a blush tinting his cheeks pink. "Sorry, dude... Haha... Kiku, not Honda." he murmured.

"Oh, don't worry Alfred, its fine." He said, looking down, blushing as well. He actually quite liked the way Alfred looked when embarrassed. It was kind of cute.

The American looked at him with a grin. "Can you say that again? My name?" he asked.

Kiku looked up, quirking an eyebrow.

"Alfred?"

He smiled wider. Oh, that was just _adorable_. Kiku couldn't say "Alfred". He said "Arfred". He had had done the same thing for the 'L's of other words, but for some reason, Alfred found it especially endearing now.

"Again?" Alfred prompted.

"Alfred...?"

The American grinned widely. "One more time?"

"Alfred." He repeated, extremely confused.

The blonde smiled. "Okay, okay. Anyway, you should come play video games with me sometime, man! I'm in room 413!" he said, grabbing Kiku's hand and writing "Alfred" and his number in sloppy handwriting, just barely legible, releasing his hand just as the bell rang.

"Thank you..." He said, watching the America walk away, chatting loudly with his friends.

He had made a friend.

As Kiku packed up his things, he couldn't help but be a little excited about that.

"Oh my, is it me, or do you sense the beginning of _l'amour_~?" Francis questioned Arthur as they, too, packed up.

"The only thing I sense is a right walloping for you if you don't shut up." the Brit responded testily.

"No need to be so angry, _mon ami_~ I think it's _magnifique _that little Alfred might finally fall in love, _non_?"

"You shut up, or I'll punch your frog face in!"

"So protective~ Maybe someone is a little _jealous_~?"

The bickering continued all the way down the hall, and neither Alfred nor Kiku had any idea.

Kiku had made a friend, here in the big nation of America. He had thought for sure everyone would hate him.

A small smile graced his face as he sat down in his next class, glancing down at the information scrawled onto the palm of his hand.

_A friend._


	2. Chapter 2

_Back with another chapter! Hopefully you like this one- I'd like to note that they'll be living in dorms. Please enjoy, and this is a collaboration with Dubstepnation!_

* * *

Kiku followed Alfred as the American led him through the school, chattering endlessly about where things were.

"So, this is the cafeteria! There are some weird and scary people sometimes but not to worry, because I, as a hero, will protect you!" Alfred told him, grinning widely as he pushed open the double doors, displaying a mass of chaos (or rather, teenagers).

Not simply teenagers, though, but teenagers from all over the world. There were people waving their arms as they made points, and different accents, languages, and dialects flying everywhere, with bits of English sprinkled in sometimes. All of the vibrant colors, smells, and sights assaulted Kiku's senses as he followed Alfred.

"So, dude, these are the people I sit with every year!" the American informed him cheerily as he tugged the Japanese boy into a seat next to him.

After being manhandled, Kiku took a look at the people at the table. There were Francis Bonnefoy and Arthur Kirkland, the two boys from earlier, one of whom had explained to Alfred what his name was.

Also there was a boy who looked strikingly similar to Alfred, their heights and builds seemingly the same, although Kiku couldn't really tell because he was sitting down. His hair was a bit longer and more wavy than Alfred's, and his eyes a curious indigo color. Instead of the rebellious cowlick Alfred sported, this boy had a curl sprouting from his hair.

And, for some strange reason, Im Yong Soo, the Korean boy that Kiku shared an art class with. He didn't seem to be a regular member of the group, judging from the odd look Alfred gave him.

"Well, hey, man!" the American said to the boy after a moment.

"Hello Alfred, da-ze!" the boy replied cheerily.

"So, uh, what's up, man?" Alfred asked curiously, his head tilting to the side in a manner reminiscent of a puppy.

"Well, I just wanted to talk and be friends. No need to ignore each other just because of a breakup, right, da-ze?" the Korean replied, looking at Alfred, oblivious of Kiku's startled gaze.

No one but Kiku seemed to find this fact startling. He felt a little behind in knowledge, only just realizing Alfred was gay.

"Of course, dude! Sorry about that, by the way. You know I left my Black Ops at your house?" the American prattled on, unaware of the fact that he had just blown Kiku's mind.

"You did? I'll try and get my parents to send it, da-ze."

"Ah, thanks man! You're a lifesaver!" Alfred told Yong Soo earnestly, fixing him with that megawatt grin.

Kiku felt a strange pang in his chest. How curious! He had no idea where that had come from; he'd never felt it before. This was disturbing. He needed to get it checked out as soon as possible, he decided.

After several more cheerful words were exchanged, the Korean boy left.

"Okay, so, listen. I'm telling you, if you value your life, do not eat the cafeteria food. It tastes like ass and I have no idea what they put in it but it sure ain't real." the American visibly shuddered before continuing. "but since you didn't know, I'll share my lunch with you."

With that, Alfred bent over to dig in his red, white and blue, star-spangled backpack to pull out a McDonald's bag. How he had managed to keep it from getting crushed was anyone's guess.

"A- arigato, Alfred, but are you sure?" Kiku wasn't sure, but Alfred seemed to hold it like it was his firstborn child.

"Duh!" Alfred told him, smiling sunnily at him. "And I don't share my Mickey D's with just anyone, so feel honored!"

"O-oh." the Japanese boy felt his cheeks heat up, not only at the smile, but because the 'Mickey D's' was obviously very important to him.

"Bloody right he doesn't share that rubbish. He eats all of it; it's a wonder he isn't morbidly obese with the amount of grease and fat he takes in each day." Arthur commented, looking at the bag as though it held something akin to vomit or feces.

"Hey! Does this look obese to you?" the American demanded, pulling up the front of his shirt and displaying rather impressive abdominal muscles.

If Kiku's face felt warm earlier, it now felt as though it was on fire. He hadn't known what Alfred kept hidden under their school uniform of white shirts, and blue plaid pants, but he knew now and he was most definitely not disappointed.

"Hey, are you okay, man? You look kinda feverish!" the American commented, eyebrows crinkling in concern as his bright blue eyes locked with Kiku's brown ones. His hand shot out, pressing to Kiku's forehead as he checked for a fever.

"I'm f-fine." he could just die at this moment, this was so embarrassing, his family didn't send him to America so that he could stutter and blush like an idiot!

"You sure, buddy?"

"Oh yes, I am completely fine."

"All righty~" Alfred said as he pulled his hand away, handing Kiku what seemed to be a burger, but was significantly larger than the portions they'd had in Japan. It was _huge_.

"A- arigato..." he thanked Alfred as he unwrapped the thing. It didn't look quite as bad as the Briton had implied it was.

"No problem, man!" Alfred said cheerily, eating his French fries and remaining three burgers with gusto.

Kiku bit into the burger, found the taste to be better than he thought it was, and began to eat.

"So," Alfred said around his mouthful of food. "Dudes, this is Kiku! He's my new BFF from Japan!"

"Artie, Francis, and Mattie." he added, pointing to each in turn as Kiku nodded politely at them.

"What about him?" He asked, gaze locked on the Korean boy, who was now across the cafeteria talking with a Chinese boy Kiku knew to be called Yao Wang.

"Ahhh... We went out." Alfred answered sheepishly. "For awhile."

"Oh. I see." He said. So Alfred was available right now.

"Yeah..." the American said, smiling at him. Yes, Alfred was gay. Not even bisexual. Just gay. He had known it since he hit middle school and realized he didn't like the older girls' breasts like all the other boys his age. No, he liked guys. God, he liked guys so much.

However, he hoped that didn't weird Kiku out or something. He was really very nice, actually, and didn't appear to have anything weird about him.

Francis was watching the scene, murmuring something about 'l'amour' as Arthur looked at him as though he were completely insane.

Alfred laughed to clear the air. "So anyway... Mattie, broski, how goes it with Gil?" he knew his brother had a raging crush on the albino.

"I-it's... It's um... It's good!" He said, as someone else began talking and he was left out of the conversation, "every time..." He sighed.

Once lunch ended, Alfred happily stood up, grabbing Kiku's schedule from him. "Look, we have this class together too! Algebra 2!"

The American didn't wait for any form of an answer, slinging his red, white and blue backpack over his shoulder and tugging Kiku along by the hand. It was a good thing the Japanese boy had already had his backpack on.

But that was just how Alfred went about things. Ready or not, whatever he had planned was coming your way.

Kiku wished he could say it annoyed him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Here you go! I recently found out Carlos was the fanon name for Cuba. So, now you know. Enjoy~!_

* * *

It was ten PM, and everyone had retired to their rooms. They'd been assigned them the night before, and Kiku was with an intimidating Russian boy called Ivan. He didn't particularly like these arrangements, but he certainly wasn't going to say anything about it.

"Aiyah! You are so immature! I can't room with you anymore!" a loud shout suddenly echoed through the hallway on the fourth floor of the boys dorms, causing several people to poke their heads out of their doorways, wondering what was going on.

"I am not!" a whiny and loud voice was heard, reminding Kiku of a certain American he knew.

"Maybe if you actually grew up when your parents shipped you off here, and acted like the sixteen-year-old you are, you wouldn't seem quite so immature!" Yao said at machine-gun-firing speed.

"Man, don't blame me for how boring you are!" Alfred countered quickly.

"Something is wrong, da? Why are you shouting?" Ivan asked, appearing in the doorway with a creepy smile.

"Yes…" Yao pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please get this idiot away from me."

"I'm not an idiot!" Alfred complained, unnoticed by either of the other men.

"Calm down, da? I will switch with him, and he can room with my roommate." The Russian said calmly, exiting to retrieve his bags before either of them could say anything, leaving Yao sputtering that that _wasn't exactly what he meant_.

"Wait, what?" the sunshine blonde asked, bewildered.

"You heard him. Out." The Chinaman said flatly, shoving the suitcase out into the hall, where it was quickly followed by its stumbling owner.

"Damn it! For the love of God…" Alfred trailed off, grabbing his suitcase and heading down the hall to where he saw Ivan exiting the room.

Ivan passed him, carrying his own suitcase. "Have fun, da?"

"Shut up, you commie bastard." The American mumbled under his breath as he walked into the room.

Kiku glanced up in surprise. "Oh, hello Alfred."

"Kiku! Thank God! I thought I was gonna be stuck in here with Carlos or something!" Alfred laughed as he tossed his suitcase onto the bed.

"I'm glad you're here. Between you and I, Ivan-san was quite terrifying." The brunette confessed.

Alfred grinned widely at him as he sat down on his own bed. "Yeah, he's fucking creepy… Last year, we kind of spent the whole time fighting, but at the end, we sorta made a truce. Now we just hate each other in silence."

"Fighting? Why were you two fighting?" Kiku questioned, looking at Alfred in confusion. He simply couldn't picture Alfred fighting with anyone. With his ever-present smile, even the idea of him hating someone was bewildering.

"Well, he was bullying some kids. Not really _bullying, _I guess, but he would intimidate them into doing stuff he wanted them to. And some of those kids were kind of my friends. I hate people who pick on the weak… And I didn't like what he was doing. He didn't like me. It just wasn't pretty." Alfred concluded with a shrug.

"And the teachers didn't say anything?" Kiku asked. He found it hard to believe an entire power struggle had occurred under the teachers' noses and they didn't say anything.

"They tried." Alfred said. "But you can only babysit two teenage boys so much, right? They can't watch forever."

Kiku opened his mouth to say something, but Alfred quickly interrupted. Perhaps it was Kiku's imagination, but the American seemed eager to get off the topic.

"So, dude. Wanna watch this movie with me?" Alfred questioned, brandishing a DVD he had pulled from his bag. On the cover was a small girl (obviously meant to be scary) with completely black eyes, a creepy smile, and a knife. "I heard it isn't even scary! But don't worry, if you get scared, I'll protect you!"

"Don't worry, Alfred. I'm sure I can handle it. Many of the movies in Japan were quite frightening. I'd love to watch it with you." Kiku assured him.

Alfred grinned, popping the DVD into the player. Kiku was impressed with the dorms. Although he knew that they were for the very elite, he was surprised at all of the furniture and luxuries within them: two queen beds, two wardrobes, a loveseat, a television with a DVD player and cable, a mini-fridge, and a large bathroom.

The American happily sat down on the loveseat, patting the cushion next to him to indicate that Kiku should sit there.

Kiku sat next to him, folding his hands in his lap and patiently waiting for the movie to begin. He listened as Alfred prattled on through the trailers, telling Kiku that although the movie wasn't that scary, it would be fine if Kiku got scared, because Alfred would protect him.

_Is it that scary?_ Kiku wondered. Surely it couldn't be that bad.

As soon as the overly suspenseful music began playing, Alfred shushed Kiku, even though he himself had been the one talking. He eagerly watched the screen as a couple appeared there. They were sitting in the dark, only a candle flickering as they talked very obviously about how strange the power outage was and how very lucky it had been that the old owners had sold the house to them at such a cheap price.

As the music grew more suspenseful, Kiku became aware of the fact that Alfred was visibly trembling.

"A- Alfred, are you all right…?" he asked. The other had grown as white as snow, which was strange, because normally the other had a nice honey-colored tan.

At the sound of his voice, Alfred jumped, letting out a nervous laugh. "Y- yeah, man, I'm totally fi- AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kiku jumped in turn as Alfred let out a rather girly scream when the 'ghost' appeared onscreen, the girl from the cover.

"Alfred… It isn't that scary." Kiku said, one eyebrow raised.

"Ha, haha, of course not, man! D- don't worry! I'll protect you!" he said, before shrieking in time with the woman in the movie as she noticed the ghost.

Kiku blinked. Really, this wasn't scary. What was Alfred screaming about?

Alfred whimpered as the woman ran through the house, a look of overdramatic horror on her features as she was cornered. The American latched onto him as the knife-brandishing apparition stepped forward towards the woman slowly.

"Alfred, it's not real." Kiku said, unable to do much but sit there as Alfred squeezed the life out of him. And _man_, did Alfred have some strength in those biceps of his.

Alfred didn't respond to his words, making several more terrified noises in Kiku's ear, burying his face in the other's shoulder as onscreen the woman was stabbed repeatedly with the knife, obviously fake blood spewing from her wounds as she continued to scream. The woman, although Kiku couldn't say much for her acting skills, had quite the set of lungs on her. He watched as the 'spirit' wrote 'get out' on the wall in the woman's blood.

"It's just a movie…" he told Alfred, getting one arm free to pat Alfred's head, slightly awkwardly.

Alfred shuddered, bursting into unmanly screams again as the movie flashed forward to the man, all alone now, selling the house to a new family.

"It's okay, Alfred. The movie isn't real. None of this ever happened." He attempted to soothe the blonde again.

"It said it was based on a true story!" the American wailed as the lights began flickering onscreen.

_Is this really what makes Americans find things scary?_

"Alfred, that's a house. We are at school." He reasoned.

"B- but I have to go back to a house during all the breaks and summer!"

"Well is that house your home?"

"No, but it could be!" Alfred countered before screaming again as the girl's face appeared in the mirror.

"Hey, shut up!" a loud voice was heard as someone in the next room banged on the wall.

Kiku sighed. American movies really lacked plot.

After another ten minutes or so of Alfred flinching and shrieking, Kiku finally decided to reach forward (with his foot. Alfred was still latched onto him and showed no signs of moving.) and turn off the television.

"… Are you all right?" Kiku asked the trembling American, who had, at some point, ended up half in Kiku's lap, still clinging to him.

"The hero is always okay." Alfred murmured into the Japanese boy's shirt.

"Just because it says that it was based off a true story doesn't mean it is." Kiku informed him as he felt a small smile cross his face. Dare he say it, although having Alfred crawling all over him was somewhat unnerving and annoying, it was slightly… cute.

"Right… Sorry." Alfred apologized sheepishly as he peeled himself off of Kiku.

"It is all right… This was fun." The Japanese boy lied. It wasn't really all that fun.

"Really? Arthur and Mattie say it's annoying." The American confessed as he stood in front of his bed, peeling off his shirt.

Kiku felt his breath catch as he watched the muscles in Alfred's back move.

"N- nice." He sputtered. No, no, _no_ _that wasn't supposed to be out loud!_

"I had a nice time!" he quickly covered, feeling a blush light his face up. He quickly tore his gaze away, tugging off his own clothes and putting on a kimono.

"I'll… try not to crawl on you next time." Alfred laughed as he pulled on his Captain America t-shirt and some boxers.

Kiku nodded, getting into his bed and lying on his side. The lights went off and he heard Alfred getting into his own bed.

They were silent for about five minutes, until Alfred's voice was heard.

"Kiku…?"

"Yes?"

"I'm… Uh…" the American's voice trailed off. If the lights had been on, the brilliant pink blush adorning Alfred's cheeks and the tips of his ears would've been visible.

"You're?" Kiku prompted.

"I'm… Uh… Well… When me and Mattie were little and one of us was scared, we would share a bed." He said quickly, blushing even harder.

"Oh… You wish to-"

"You don't have to!" Alfred spluttered, blushing and cringing in embarrassment. God, why did he ask that? He had never been more humiliated in his life.

"No, if you… If you want to, we can."

"I- uh- thank you." The American said, getting up and crossing the room. He slid into Kiku's bed, a heavy silence between both of them.

"You're welcome." The Japanese boy said at last.

"Good night, Kiku." He told the brunette.

"Yes, good night, Alfred."

After about five more minutes, Kiku could hear Alfred's light snores. As soon as he was sure the American was asleep, he laid his head on the blonde's chest, falling asleep to the steady and rhythmic sound of Alfred's heartbeat.

When Alfred woke up the next morning, his arms were tightly wrapped around Kiku, who in turn was against his chest.

"Alfred?" he heard a soft voice murmur.

"Morning." He replied, finding it a lot more difficult than it should've been to release the other.

It was going to be a long year.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello~ hope you enjoy~! Yes, yes, I know, there were more people who were kind of on the Allies side, but diddly dang flabbit this was hard enough as it is, with all the research we had to do! So, enjoy~ please review. It's what I live off of._

* * *

Kiku stood outside the door to his history class. He had been certain that Alfred was in this class. After all, the American had been there the day before.

"Ve~ Kiku~!" a cheery Italian jumped on the brunette's back in a sort-of hug.

"Ah, hello Feliciano-San. W-what are you doing?" the Japanese boy asked.

"Ve~ are you waiting for Alfred?" the Italian questioned, not answering Kiku as he hopped off, Ludwig appearing behind him.

"Ah, yes I am." Kiku told the Italian.

"Feli, you can't just go jumping on people." Ludwig told him sternly as they all walked into the classroom.

"No it's alright, I don't mind." Kiku said to the tall German.

"Ve~ Kiku, do you want some pasta~?" the redhead asked, pulling out a container filled with pasta as they sat down at a table.

"Maybe at lunch Feliciano-San." The Italian shrugged happily and began to sing as he ate some of the pasta himself.

"Feliciano, put that away." the German commanded as the teacher looked at him strangely.

"Ve~ Alright Luddy." The Italian cooed and the pasta disappeared.

"A- and don't call me that." the blonde added, blushing slightly, much to Kiku's interest.

_This is turning into something very interesting..._ He thought, watching the two.

"Ve~ but 'Luddy' sounds nice!" the Italian informed him.

"My name is Ludwig." he said sternly.

"But Luddy is cute~! Like you!" Feliciano said happily.

"Feli, I am not cute. Cute things are small and... Cuddly, like you. I am masculine. Manly, well built and muscular." He explained sternly, blushing a bit from Feli's comment.

"But Luddy it's so cute when you blush! Like now!" Feliciano countered.

Kiku blinked. So these two were... An item? Was everyone here gay? He was going to have to draw a doujinshi about these two later. They were quite cute together.

"Feli we don't need to talk about this right now we are in class!" The German spluttered, looking quite discombobulated.

"Ve~ okay!" the Italian agreed as he began doodling on his paper.

The teacher started class. "Today we'll be discussing world war two. Can anyone tell me what the two opposing sides were called?"

Kiku blinked. That was an easy question. His hand shot up of its own accord and the teacher called on him.

"They were referred to as the Axis Powers and the Allied Forces."

"Good. And can you tell me which nations were on each side?"

"Yes. On the Axis side, there were Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. On the Allies side, America, Great Britain, France, the USSR, China, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, India, South Africa, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Luxemborg, Cuba, Mexico, Philippines, Mongolia, Iraq, and Yugoslavia."

"Very, very good. You only forgot one of the Allies: Canada."

Kiku blushed. That was kind of embarrassing.

"Class, we're all very diverse here; I would like you to split up into groups depending on whether your home country was on the Axis or Allies side. Today, you'll be the representatives of your home country."

"And if your country was neutral?" questioned a blonde Swiss boy named Vash. From what Alfred had said, he had a sister he was overprotective of and to be very careful not to mess with her.

"Sit down in the back of the room and enjoy the debate."

A few of the kids headed over there, sitting down in the desks as everyone shifted to whatever side of the room had been indicated. Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Gilbert, Elizaveta, a Romanian boy named Vladimir, and Aleksander, a Brazilian boy, stood on one side of the room.

On the other were Arthur, Francis, Ivan, Yao, Femke, Matthias, Heracles, Lars, Lukas, Feliks, Gupta, and Matthew. They didn't have all of the Allies; their class wasn't that big.

Abruptly, the door burst open, Alfred skidding to a stop once inside. "Sorry I'm late, health teacher kept me after." he panted, hands on knees as he caught his breath. No one could really blame him, the health class was all the way across the building and up two flights of stairs. "Did I miss anything?"

"Yes. We're debating World War Two, Alfred. You're American, correct?"

"Born and raised." he replied proudly.

"Wonderful, you'll be with the Allies." the teacher pointed across the room.

As soon as the American had thrown himself into a desk, the teacher began speaking. "Okay, you have ten minutes to prepare yourselves. You may use any textbooks, the Internet, or your own knowledge. Go."

Ludwig turned to the current Axis Powers. "Who would like to start? I'll have to remind you, everyone say what they need to say and then stop. If you want to speak, raise your hand, but do so in a manner that does not mock my country's past in any way."

There were soft murmurs of agreement as a certain Italian's hand went up.

"Yes, Feli?" the German asked.

"Pasta~!"

"... Okay, and does anyone have anything relevant to say?" Ludwig questioned in a tired manner.

Meanwhile, on the Allies side of the room, things weren't going much better.

"Francis, your hair is, like, totally fabulous. What product do you, like, use?" Feliks asked.

"Honhonhon, that is a well-kept French secret, mon cherie~." Francis replied.

"Can't you all shut the bloody fuck up? We're trying to plan a debate here!" Arthur shouted over them.

"Now, Artie, dude, is that any way for the World War Two representative of England to speak?" Alfred asked playfully.

"You shut up too, twat!" the Briton replied, flustered.

"Come on, guys, let's try and make a plan, eh?" Matthew said quietly, no one listening to him.

Chaos continued to reign as Alfred and Matthias got into a belching contest, Lukas telling the Dane how disgusting he was. Heracles was sleeping, Francis and Arthur were nearly strangling each other, Feliks was fixing his hair, Ivan had somehow managed to sit on Matthew, Lars was glowering at the others as Femke patted his shoulder. Lovino was screaming at Ludwig as Feliciano panicked, clutching onto Kiku who was slightly afraid.

"All right, ENOUGH!" the teacher screamed loudly, causing everyone to fall silent, looking up at him. "Thank you." he said calmly. "Who would like to start?"

"I will!" Francis said. "The French would've won the war if you'd given us enough time!"

"Ridiculous. Germany was twice the size of France and the French were fighting with themselves at that time. 'better Hitler than Blum.', one of your socialist politicians." Elizaveta denied.

"So maybe the French wouldn't have won, but, like, the Americans totally kicked ass." Feliks pointed out.

"They only joined because of Japan. Otherwise the Allies most likely would've lost. Germany had the Royal Army stretched pretty far defending Australia and India. Japan was invading the USSR and China was trying to defend Manchuria. France didn't stand a chance. The Allies were good but not that good. Finally America joined because of the attack on Pearl Harbor." Aleksander replied.

"The completely unwarranted attack on Hawaii." Alfred commented, nodding with conviction, his cowlick bobbing.

"It wasn't unwarranted." Kiku said. He was surprised. He hadn't meant for that to slip out.

"What do you mean, it wasn't unwarranted? There was literally no reason for that, America wasn't involved." Alfred said stubbornly.

Was it Kiku's imagination, or did Alfred seem... Different? He seemed older, more mature. There was a determined glint in his beautiful blue eyes, and his jaw was set. Normally, Alfred was adorable and attractive. Now, he seemed... Sexy.

"Yes. China and Japan were fighting, and America put an embargo on Japan, blocking their imports of natural resources. They couldn't fight in the war without them. So, they attacked." the brunette reasoned.

"Unwarranted! The Japanese dragged America into the war! They killed twenty three hundred Americans, completely destroyed the U.S.S. Arizona, and totally threw us off!" Alfred exclaimed fiercely.

"You didn't have to retaliate. Two atomic bombs? Two hundred and twenty five thousand deaths. Completely unnecessary!"

Kiku could feel himself beginning to get angry. He wasn't entirely sure why; after all, this was Alfred, his best friend. Alfred, the one who had shrieked like a girl and had to sleep in his bed from terror over a stupid movie. But... He was getting mad.

"Admittedly, atomic bombs probably weren't the best way to go about it. But if the Japanese hadn't bombed us, it wouldn't have happened. Besides, even though we killed that many, we saved billions of lives."

"Yes, and ruined many more! There are children today who have to deal with the effects of radiation! They're mutated!"

"But was it relevant in the long run, when we brought world peace?"

"Yes it was relevant! People of Japan still deal with it today! Besides, America has made several enemies by sticking its noise where it doesn't belong!"

"But they saved the lives of innocent people and kept anything like that from happening again."

"Then why did the Cold War happen so soon?"

"That's a different issue, communism isn't what we're debating."

"You say you brought world peace, but there was another war so soon after."

"They brought it momentarily. I don't see Japan bringing about world peace, aren't they at war with China over laws of the sea right now?"

"Getting off topic, boys. But that's okay, class is almost over. You both did wonderfully today. Everyone may pack up." the teacher told them.

The whole classroom had their eyes on them, amazed. They had had a full-fledged debate, moving back and forth seamlessly with arguments and denials, building off of each others statements. For some reason Kiku didn't quite understand, he had liked that very much.

Alfred seemed to be in a similar situation on the other side of the room, blinking and shaking his head a bit. He looked just as surprised as Kiku felt.

Francis and Elizaveta were watching them with creepy stares, and Kiku couldn't quite figure out what that was all about. He didn't really want to know, either.

As the bell rang, Alfred arrived next to him, chattering obliviously about some new video game.

Kiku couldn't help studying his profile, the way his light blonde lashes caught the light, his strong jaw, those pretty lips, that adorable cowlick, and the slight dimples in his cheeks.

He shook himself. No need to be thinking about one's best friend like that.

But God, it was hard not to.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello~ here's the new chapter~ reviews are appreciated._

* * *

Alfred flopped on his bed. It had been a long day. A very, very long day. He was so tired. But he couldn't sleep yet, he had promised Kiku he would wait up for him. His roommate had gone to hang out with Feli and Ludwig.

Alfred stared around the room for a bit before something caught his eye. What was that, poking out from under Kiku's mattress? He stood up to retrieve it.

Walking over to his friend's mattress, he pulled out a book. What was strange was this was the back cover, with many different Japanese characters. He turned it over.

Alfred blinked. Two guys... staring at each other intensely? Well maybe that was a girl with a really flat chest. She... He... It seemed to have long hair. He opened the book, mystified.

The two guys (he had determined that they were both boys) seemed to be fighting, although blushing quite hard. One was clutching the other's shirt collar, pressing him against the wall.

Suddenly, Alfred realized they definitely weren't fighting.

As he flipped through the book, the pages got progressively more and more graphic as the boys began... Doing things...

He blinked, feeling an uneasy arousal rush through him as he came to the scene where the boys were really going at it, their expressions of pleasure turning him on.

He felt a blush sweep his cheeks and gasped as he realized the door was unlocking. Kiku was back! He frantically tried to figure out where to put the book but it was too late.

"Alfred I'm-" he stopped when he saw what the American was holding. His face turned a bright red before Alfred's eyes. "I-I see you've... Found that."

"I- uh- um- er- well- are you gay?" the blonde blurted out at last, his blush rivaling the two characters in the book.

"I... Uh..." the brunette's blush deepened. "Uh... I um... J-uh... You... Uh... You see I.. Uh... Well um... Yes."

"Oh." Alfred said simply. A heavy silence filled the room before he laughed awkwardly. "That's a nice book you have there."

"Uh- oh, yes, it's.. It's very nicely drawn, yes." Kiku smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah... Did you have a good time with Ludwig and Feliciano?" the American asked. The quality of the art hadn't been what he was referring to at all.

"Yes I did... Are they dating?" the Japanese boy asked, hoping he could draw them. He wasn't exactly sure what they would be doing, but he had a good idea of it.

"I'm pretty sure everyone but Ludwig knows they are." Alfred answered with a laugh. "They both like each other. I wonder when Ludwig will realize that Feliciano only trains with him to see him all sweaty and sometimes shirtless..."

That was Kiku's inspiration. Right there. Perfect.

"I see..." He said, thinking of all the ways he could draw this.

Alfred laughed. "Why?"

"Well, if you want to know so badly..." Kiku walked over to his desk and pulled out papers he had been drawing. "Read these."

Alfred gave him a curious look before taking the papers. He wasn't more than a panel in before he felt his face flame again, eyes going wide.

He had to say, Kiku was kind of... Kinky. He would've never guessed it by looking at the boy.

Kiku blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly again.

"Wow... This is... Wow." Alfred commented. He wasn't displeased or anything, but he had never thought Kiku would be into this stuff.

"Yeah..." Kiku looked down, ashamed. God, Alfred probably thought he was a weirdo now... He had lost his only friend here.

"Hey, it's ok." Alfred said as he handed the papers back. "I don't think any less of you or anything."

"Oh, no, I just thought you'd think I was... Weird."

"Well... Everyone has their kinks." the American replied with a sheepish grin. "Would it make you feel better if I told you one of mine?"

"Sure."

"I _really_ like... You know, teasing. Like, in bed." Alfred confessed, face burning.

"Oh... I see." Abruptly, Kiku's mind was flooded with images of him being tied down by Alfred and getting teased with the American's tongue… And a bit of jealousy. Who else had Alfred been with that allowed him to determine his kinks?

_Best not to think about that now,_ he reminded himself.

"Yeah... I'm swearing this to secrecy right here and now. Anyway, you told me to wait up for you. What is it?"

"Oh, I only wanted to spend time with you, if you wish."

"Sure man! Have you ever played Slenderman?"

"No?" Kiku said, although he knew Alfred wasn't really asking, simply telling him they were going to play it.

"Cool, dude!" Alfred said happily, pulling out a state of the art laptop and gesturing Kiku over.

The Japanese boy sat down next to him, pulling his knees to his chest as Alfred booted up the computer.

The American happily hummed as he played the game, suspenseful music starting up.

The brunette watched intently.

Alfred began moving around in the game. "So, dude, there are 8 pieces of paper. You have to get all of them. But if Slenderman gets you, you die."

"I see." Kiku agreed.

Alfred nodded as he made the character in the game run. Half an hour and six papers later, Alfred let out a surprised squeal as he came face to face (or rather, lack of face) with Slenderman.

"Alfred, it's ok!" Kiku told the American, certain he was scared. "It's not real."

Alfred laughed. "What are you talking about, man? That's not even scary!"

"Ah... Well, may I try?" Kiku asked.

"Sure, man!" the American agreed, pushing the laptop over to him. "But you know, you probably won't get all eight. But don't worry; it's your first time playing this!"

"Thank you, Alfred, but I believe I know how to do this." Kiku told him.

"Whatever you say, dude!" the blonde shrugged as he watched Kiku begin the game.

Eight pages later, the brunette pushed the laptop away from him. "I did it."

"Wha...? How did you do that?!" Alfred demanded, his blue eyes wide.

"It was easy." Kiku shrugged, smiling a little.

"Tell me your secrets!" the American commanded.

"It is quite simple: just don't look, and when you see him you have to turn away. But not quickly." the Japanese boy instructed.

"Ohhhh." Alfred nodded before stifling a yawn. It wasn't that late but they'd had to get up early and had gone to bed late the night before.

"We should get to bed." Kiku told Alfred, not fooled for a minute by his attempt to hide the yawn.

"Uh huh... Hey, Kiku?" the blonde asked, hooking his fingers around the brunette's chin and tilting it up so that they were face to face.

Kiku felt his heartbeat quicken tenfold as he looked into Alfred's eyes, brown connecting with blue.

"Ahh... Y- yes?" he stuttered.

Alfred stayed silent for a moment, simply staring at him.

Kiku couldn't help but wonder, with the blonde's lips so close to him, if Alfred was going to kiss him. Maybe he should kiss Alfred. That would actually be nice... He could see it now.

Finally, the American burst into a grin and spoke: "You have pretty eyes." he said before releasing his face.

"O- oh. Thank you." he replied. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_. Of course Alfred wouldn't kiss him, they were friends.

_Friends, nothing more_, he thought, somewhat bitterly.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey! So sorry that I didn't get this put up last night. I'll post another chapter when I get back from basically the entire point of this random pairing is for jealousy__. Thank you to candycornbuddy for the awesome reviews and corrections of our spelling ^_^ Enjoy~ reviews are welcomed!_

* * *

Kiku walked down the hallway to his and Alfred's room. The blond had asked him for help in their animation class and Kiku was coming back from hanging out with Ludwig and Feliciano to help him. It was uncharacteristically quiet for eleven PM on a Friday night. Normally there would be at least one person blasting music, or a door open with the sound of people from inside talking. But strangely enough, it was completely silent.

As he arrived at the door, he was surprised to find it was locked. Normally, Alfred neglected to lock the door, saying, 'if a dude really wanted in he'd just break the lock'. But it was locked. How strange.

He pulled out his hardly-ever-used key and unlocked the door, walking inside, where he was met with a shocking and confusing turn of events.

It was shocking, not because Alfred was indeed in the room, but because Alfred was in bed with someone. They weren't naked, but it looked pretty heated. Someone else's legs were wrapped around Alfred's waist. Someone else's fingers were twined in the blond strands. Alfred was leaning down and sucking at the boy's neck as he moaned out Alfred's name.

It was confusing because Kiku suddenly felt a strange pang in his chest that was quickly followed by a burning feeling. What on earth was that?

"A- Alfred...?" he said quietly. It was loud enough in the mostly silent room, though.

Alfred's entire upper body twisted around as he turned to look at Kiku, surprise written on his features. As he did this, Kiku glanced past him to the person under him, a tan Mexican boy Kiku knew to be called Jose. What was strange was the abrupt urge the Japanese boy felt to throttle him.

"Alfred, who is that? Why is he here? I thought you wanted help in animation." Kiku stated calmly, making sure to keep this strange and murderous urge to himself.

"Err... Jose." Alfred said, his face the color of a stoplight. The awkwardness in the room was tangible.

"I see. Konnichiwa." he said to Jose, his eyes darting to the decorative samurai swords on his side of the room. _No, keep the murderous urges in check_, he reminded himself.

"Uhh... Hola. I'll be going now, si? Adios, Alfred!" the Mexican said as he threw himself off the bed hurriedly and scrambled for the door. As it slammed, Alfred- who was seated on the bed with his shirt rumpled and a surprised expression- and Kiku locked eyes.

"Dude, I can totally explain! We were studying and it just got totally out of hand! We were in the library but then he... Had an issue... And he wanted to take care of it in private so I said yes but his roommate was there so he said my room and I knew you were gone and-"

"Alfred, you're rambling." Kiku cut him off absentmindedly, more focused on getting a handle on his emotions. An issue? Was Alfred serious? The brunet felt his fists clench at the thought of Alfred touching someone else like that.

...

He really needed to get a handle on this emotions thing.

"Hey, man, I'm really sorry!" Alfred apologized hurriedly, obviously seeing Kiku's clenched fists. "I'll make sure that I don't do it in here, I know you don't wanna deal with all that."

Not doing it in here? _Really? That's_ what Alfred thought he was upset about?!

"All right." he agreed, forcing himself to adopt a relaxed face and posture.

"Sorry... He's just... Perfect, you know?" Alfred asked, flopping backwards on his bed with a dreamy smile.

"Yes." Kiku agreed, pretending like that didn't hurt.

"And he's a great kisser." the American continued, a wide and lovestruck smile on his face.

"I'm sure." the Japanese boy commented as he got dressed for bed, thinking about what had just happened and attempting to sort out the sudden flurry of emotions.

"You know, Kiku I thought you were gonna be really mad. You're pretty great, you know that?" Alfred said after a moment of silence.

"Thank you, Alfred. You are, too." he replied quietly.

Oh, what he wouldn't give to be in Jose's place.


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm back from school! Hope you guys enjoy this. Dubstepnation and I are working pretty hard on some upcoming chapters we think you'll like a lot!_

* * *

Kiku laid on his bed, studying his textbook. Alfred was out on a date with Jose. Shortly after their hook up, Alfred had decided he wanted to go out with the boy. Kiku didn't like this idea at all. In fact, he despised it and was unclear on why. He knew it most likely wasn't healthy to want to strangle someone every time you caught sight of them, but he couldn't help it.

He was pulled from his thoughts as the door to their room opened, and Alfred stepped inside. He looked like a mess, a frown on that normally smiling face as he closed the door behind him, flopping face first on his bed without so much as a greeting to Kiku.

"Alfred...?" the brunet asked timidly. He was answered with a grunt.

"Are you all right?" he questioned.

"No." came the muffled reply.

"What happened?" this was really quite disconcerting. Alfred, not happy? Alfred was always happy. It was one of the things that made the American so charming.

"He broke up with me." the blond sighed into the sheets.

"What?" Kiku asked, feeling guilty for the abrupt happy feeling that filled his chest.

"Jose. He said we were better off friends." Alfred answered, voice cracking.

"Alfred." Kiku said softly, walking over to him and sitting on the bed. "It will be all right."

"No, it won't. I have to spend the rest of the year looking at him."

"Alfred, please. He isn't worth your time." the urge to strangle Jose was back, stronger this time.

"But I'm just so stupid. Can't even take a hint that no one wants to spend time with me... You probably hate me too. I'm sorry." the blond said.

"I don't hate you, Alfred. You are one of the best people I know."

"I'm an asshole. I'm sorry that I force you to spend time with me."

Obviously, the American was going through a small self-loathing moment.

"Alfred F. Jones, listen to me." Kiku said firmly. "What one boy thinks of you doesn't matter. You are kind, brave, caring, and you have a strong sense of self-worth. So, please, act like the Alfred I know again. That Alfred wouldn't mind what one person said about him."

There was a moment of silence, as Alfred appeared to be absorbing what he said. After a minute, the American sat up.

"You know what? You're right, Kiku. Thank you." abruptly, Alfred's arms were around him. The Japanese boy blinked. Normally, he despised contact. He had a space bubble, and he liked people to stay out of it. But he didn't mind this. He felt safe. A little too safe, considering that Alfred was squeezing the life out of him. It felt like a repeat of the night they watched the horror movie. But other than that, he really didn't mind.

After a while, he reached up and wrapped his arms around Alfred, feeling the blond let out a sigh against his neck.

"You know what?" Alfred asked.

"Yes?" Kiku replied, feeling Alfred loosening his arms. He released the American in turn.

"You're really great, Kiku. Really. I'm glad I met you." Alfred told him, looking into his eyes.

Kiku felt his breath hitch, looking into those mesmerizing blue depths. He didn't dare look away. But Alfred looked away first, his eyes flicking down to Kiku's mouth before looking back up again.

"You're really, really great..." he repeated as he looked back down. Perhaps it was Kiku's imagination, but Alfred seemed to be getting closer. He didn't move. He _couldn't_ move. He wouldn't miss this for the world. Alfred was so close. Kiku could see every detail of his face with clarity, finding he liked all of the American. He wouldn't mind this at all. Kissing Alfred sounded like a godsend at this point. The blond was just so irresistible.

"Ohonhonhon~ are we interrupting something~?" a voice with a French accent was abruptly heard, causing Alfred and Kiku to snap apart.

"Francis, you bloody wanker. Leave them alone."

"No, no! Come on in." Alfred said, smiling widely at the two. It seemed the moment was lost, leaving Kiku more confused than ever as the two walked in.

He... _Liked_ Alfred?

No.

Definitely not.

It was just a passing idea. It was natural to sometimes find attractive things about your friends. He just needed some sleep, that was all.

Right?


	8. Chapter 8

_To the guest reviewer who demanded that the last chapter not be it: it won't be all! We promise, there is more coming up! We plan on continuing this for quite a whole! Happy Easter, if you celebrate it!_

* * *

"Dude, are you listening to me?" Alfred asked Kiku, breaking him from his thoughts.

"H-hai!" Kiku said, eyes going wide. He hadn't been listening at all, more focused on not staring at Alfred. After all, they were half dressed and in the locker room and looking at Alfred's body would probably never get old to him.

"Oh. Well ok. Anyway, so I want you to build one of those really cool little boat thingies..."

Kiku gave up on listening to Alfred and on not looking at him, instead resigning himself to discreetly looking at the ways Alfred's muscular arms moved as he tugged on his shorts. He imagined how they would look tensed as Alfred thrusted into him and-

Best not to think about that right now.

He hurriedly wrenched his gaze away and yanked on his clothes, hurrying away from the place of naked boys and into the gym. He vaguely heard Alfred ask where he was going in the distance but he didn't stop.

Alfred came out a few moments later and looked at him concernedly as he walked over.

As the blond opened his mouth, a shrill whistle sounded.

"Everyone pick a partner!" the coach's voice boomed through the gym, sending everyone scrambling to find someone.

"Kiku!" Alfred said, grabbing the Japanese boy's wrist and tugging him forward. He couldn't have protested, even if he wanted to, because the coach was already speaking.

"We're starting the dance unit today." he announced. "We're starting with just slow dancing, nothing fancy."

Kiku felt his heart sink as he heard this. If there was one thing he couldn't do, it would be dancing.

And now he was going to have to dance in front of Alfred. With Alfred.

Speaking of the blond American, Alfred had been talking this whole time.

"Hey Kiku. Yo, Kiku! Hey man? All right... Boobs. Dicks. Porn. Tentacle porn?"

"What?" Kiku asked, startled.

Alfred let out a loud laugh before saying, "I asked you a question and you were ignoring me, so I was trying to get your attention. Do you wanna be the guy or the girl?"

"Whoever does not lead." the Japanese boy said, ignoring the 'girl' comment as the coach turned on some slow and sappy song.

Alfred placed his hands on Kiku's hips and the brunet felt horrified. What was he supposed to do?

"Are you all right, man? You look really pale."

"I... I don't know how to dance." he confessed in a whisper.

"Oh. Well you could've just said so. Wrap your arms around my neck." the American commanded.

Kiku obeyed, although the height difference made it a little difficult.

"Now stand on my feet."

"Pardon me?" Kiku demanded.

"Stand on my feet, bro." the blond instructed.

"Why?" the Japanese boy said as, with his face flaming, he did so.

They were barely an eyelash away now, and he suddenly had a better view of Alfred's lips than before. He wasn't sure if he liked this or not, mainly because he didn't want to be thinking about Alfred like that.

"It's how you teach little kids to dance." Alfred said with a shrug.

"I am not a child, Alfred." the brunet said, somewhat sternly, or rather, as stern as one could be when standing on someone's feet to learn to dance.

"I know. But you're really small and it's okay because you don't hurt when you stand on them. Besides, we'd trip all over the place when I do this." the American commented as he stepped forward, sending Kiku's foot back.

"And this." he continued as he stepped to the side.

Kiku was surprised, mainly at how sure Alfred seemed of himself as he did this. It wasn't much, a square, really. He would probably be embarrassed if he compared himself to Antonio and Lovino, who were whirling by quickly, doing some elaborate dance that Kiku couldn't have performed in his wildest dreams.

But this was nice. He was staring at Alfred's mouth (not a good thing, he should stop that), and they were moving slowly and steadily in a small square. He could smell Alfred, something masculine and clean, like freshly washed clothes. He couldn't help but note how warm and firm the American felt under his fingertips, how broad his shoulders were. He felt like they were connected sometime.

The song continued and Kiku felt as though he might lean forward and kiss Alfred like he so desperately wanted to.

"Kiku?" Alfred asked abruptly.

"Yes?" the Japanese boy replied, slightly startled. He was hopeful, though. Maybe, just maybe, Alfred felt the connection between them and was going to do something about it. He hoped so, because otherwise being so close but so far was going to drive him insane.

"Are you getting the hang of it?" the blond asked, shattering Kiku's hopes.

"Yes. Thank you." he said, stepping off of the idiotic American.

Kiku was more confused than ever. Did he want this? Did he not?

That was the problem: he didn't know.


	9. Chapter 9

_Yo, thanks for all your hella rad reviews! And guest reviewer, can't thank you enough! I know the chapters are short ;-; Dubstepnation and I are working on that, but right now we're just posting the ones we already have. We like your ideas a lot, and you can expect to see them in upcoming chapters. We'd like to thank you all for your continued support of this story! Enjoy this chapter where nothing really happens, but it's kinda cute!_

* * *

It was Friday night, and Kiku was lying in bed. To say he felt awful was an understatement, honestly.

"Kiku! Guess what, guess what, guess what?!" Alfred asked excitedly, standing over the Japanese boy's bed.

Kiku felt he really wasn't ready to deal with his typically endearing but currently annoying roommate.

"Yes?" he groaned.

"Gilbert's having a party, man! You've gotta come, his parties are the best, oh my God!" the American half-shouted, causing the brunet to wince.

"Um, yes, of course..." he agreed, attempting to correlate his thoughts as he squeezed his eyes shut.

There was a moment of (blessed) silence until finally, the blond said, "... Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, truly." Kiku assured him.

"You're awfully pale..." Alfred said, tone obviously unconvinced. As the American pressed his hand to Kiku's forehead, he continued with, "and you're burning up!"

"Am I?"

"Yeah! I think you're sick! Let's get you to the nurse." the blond said, shrugging off his bomber jacket.

"Alfred, please, I can get there myself. Go to the party." Kiku instructed, sitting up and wincing at how dizzy and achy he felt.

"No, man! You're always here when I need something. I'll be your hero!" the American insisted, striking a pose Kiku was sure was similar to a pose a comic book superhero might use.

"Yes, well... Thank you." the Japanese boy said, standing up and swaying a bit.

"Careful." Alfred said, and Kiku felt strong arms around him, supporting him. "Don't fall."

"Arigato..." the Japanese boy thanked him, glad that the world had stopped spinning for a moment.

"No problem." Alfred agreed, pulling one of Kiku's arms around his shoulders. "Come on."

And so, they walked to the nurses office, with Alfred asking him whether he was all right every two minutes or so. Kiku supposed it was nice, but it did wear on him after a while.

"Hi, Miss!" Alfred said loudly as they arrived in the doorway of the office.

"Mr. Jones. You haven't broken anymore bones, have you? Or set someone on fire again? You know fireworks are dangerous." the woman, a short and round lady that seemed nice, if rather overworked. Her speech gave Kiku the impression Alfred was in here a lot, and apparently for reckless reasons.

"No ma'am! I just think Kiku here is sick!" the blond replied with a sheepish grin. Kiku had never heard Alfred call anyone ma'am; he called most of their female teachers 'miss' or 'lady', albeit not with disrespectful intentions.

"Well, come on in, then." she instructed, pulling Kiku over to a bed and practically forcing him to lie down in it. The next moment consisted of a thermometer being forced in his mouth. It was no wonder Alfred was so respectful to this woman. She seemed very no-nonsense, and very able to handle the rambunctious American.

After a moment, she pulled the device out of Kiku's mouth. With a glance at the device, she pronounced him sick. "You've got the flu." she informed him, tossing what Kiku would honestly have to say were the ugliest pajamas he had ever seen at him. "You're staying overnight. And for more nights. I don't want you infecting other kids."

"How long will this last?" Alfred interjected, not giving Kiku the chance to protest at his impromptu stay.

"I'd have to say a week to ten days." she replied. "now, let that boy change in privacy."

Kiku blinked as Alfred was pulled away, and a curtain was pulled across the immediate area around his bed. He quickly changed into the horrible garments, pulling the curtain back aside when he was done.

"Lights out in four minutes." the nurse informed them as Alfred sat in a chair next to his bed.

"Got it!" the blond agreed with a salute to the woman as she walked away.

Kiku became aware of a persistent pinging noise. He glanced around for a moment, mystified, before realizing it was Alfred's phone.

"Texts. And pictures. Of the party." Alfred told him, noting what Kiku's attention was on.

"Do you regret not going?" he asked, feeling surprised as the question escaped. He wasn't exactly sure why he was asking.

"No." Alfred replied firmly. "You're a lot better than them any day."

Kiku probably would've blushed if he didn't feel so bad.

"Okay. Jones, get out. Don't get maimed." the nurse commanded.

"You got it!" the American agreed, tone chipper as he stood up. "See you tomorrow, Kiku! Get some sleep and feel better!"

As soon as he was gone, the nurse shook her head. "That boy is something else."

"He truly is." Kiku agreed solemnly as she turned the lights off, leaving him to his own thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

_I am so, SO sorry for keeping you guys waiting. It's just that (and I know this is no excuse) it's the last part of the year, and Dubstepnation and I have been taking tests and all kinds of things, and so... I forgot to edit this. But, it's here now, and I'm super sorry for any future late updates, although I don't plan on having them. I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you have any ideas for future chapters, PM me, and if Dubstepnation and I think it goes with the plot (the plot just has an endpoint, really. Lots of things could happen in between.), then we'll write it and give you credit for the idea! Thank you so much for reading this insanely long author's note, and enjoy!_

* * *

It was the last class of the day, and Kiku was tired. His last class was math, which he actually liked, but the dreary weather showing through all the windows kept making him feel sleepy.

On the bright side, he had Alfred in that class, who was sure to keep him awake.

On the not-so-bright-side, Alfred was also sure to keep him distracted.

Speaking of Alfred, a certain blond managed to bump his shoulder and yell excitedly into his ear, pulling him from his musings.

"Dude! I have to show you something and it's real important!" Alfred shouted.

"Show me, please." the brunet requested, standing still so the American could show him what all the fuss was about.

"Come on!" Alfred said, grabbing his wrist and tugging him along, in a direction that happened to be away from the math classroom.

"W- wait, Alfred! We're supposed to be going to math!" Kiku protested, digging his heels in and providing some resistance against the whirlwind that was Alfred F. Jones.

"What? Kiku, come on dude!" Alfred exclaimed. His expression was what one could only describe as befuddled.

"Alfred, we have to go to class." the Japanese boy told him.

"... Dude, you're a total genius in that class! Come on, man, you can afford to skip one day! This is something really important that I've decided to show you." All of the sudden, Alfred's expression changed from its normal happy-go-lucky state to rather serious. "It's very important to me, and only a few people have seen it. I want you to be one of them."

Kiku gulped. With those glowing, sky-blue, gorgeous eyes boring into his, how could he say no? Besides, Alfred had a valid point.

"Is it at least on campus?" he asked.

"No. It's not that far, come on, please?"

Oh God. Alfred was giving him _the face_. The one he absolutely couldn't resist. It was akin to what one might call 'puppy dog eyes', only worse. It made Kiku feel as though if he said no, he would be the most horrible person in the universe.

As he nodded and Alfred went back to normal, tugging him along again, he pictured what his parents would say if they knew he was skipping class and had a crush on a boy.

The Japanese boy shuddered at the mere thought. He supposed they wouldn't have to know about this.

As they walked out of the building into the courtyard, Kiku was confused. There was only one way off campus, and it was a gate reserved for at the end and beginning of the year, when students were entering and exiting the facility. It had a guard and everything, and there was no way they were going to get to leave that way.

As Alfred pulled him over to a brick wall, Kiku realized they weren't exiting in the most conventional of ways.

"Okay. I'll go over first and then pull you up, all right?" Alfred asked him, not waiting for an answer. Kiku was left to watch as the American jumped, his superior height allowing him to grab the top of it and hoist himself up.

The brunet would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. A tan hand was extended towards him, and Kiku reached up and grabbed it uncertainly.

There wasn't much time to be uncertain before he was flying upwards with startling speed.

"Wow, you're sure light!" Alfred exclaimed cheerfully, grabbing his waist to steady him.

"... Arigato." Kiku said, deciding to take this as a compliment. Although, he was fairly certain Alfred was just freakishly strong.

"Okay, I'm gonna jump down and then catch you, all right?" Alfred asked him earnestly.

"No, I've taken karate my whole life and I assure you it will be fine." the Japanese boy said, spying his spot to impress Alfred. He dropped down gracefully, even doing a bit of a flip, and quickly stood, looking back up at Alfred.

"Dude, that was _so fucking cool_!" Alfred exclaimed excitedly as he jumped down, landing in a significantly more clumsy manner.

"Thank you." Kiku told the American, waiting for him to steady himself.

Alfred grinned at him, walking ahead of the Japanese boy and gesturing with his hand for Kiku to follow him.

So, they walked along in silence, reaching the woods after awhile. As they entered them, Kiku thought about the lack of speech, which was strange for them. Come to think of it, for the most part, Kiku had never really heard Alfred stay quiet. It was strange. Normally, the American was quite the chatterbox, albeit a charming one.

But now, he was silent, which made this entire event all that much more important. The only noise was nature and the crunch of their footsteps on the autumn leaves.

Kiku didn't ask where they were going. He trusted the American. Although, he supposed it was strange that he trusted this boy that he had only known for a month or so more than his parents.

"Okay. We're here." Alfred informed him, coming to a halt.

They were standing at a cliff of sorts. Kiku could vaguely hear running water.

Alfred sat down on the edge of the cliff, parting the ground beside him so Kiku would sit down too.

The Japanese boy obeyed, realizing with slight fright that below the edge, about one hundred feet down, there was a swiftly coursing river, with sharp rocks at the bottom. If he made one wrong move, he could fall in.

Perhaps sensing his uneasiness, Alfred said, "don't worry. I've been coming here since freshman year. It's steady."

Kiku nodded, and they sat in silence. Despite the daunting waters below, the place was quite stunning, a scene a photographer might take a picture of.

"Alfred?" he asked.

"Mm?"

"Why did you bring me here? What is special about this place, if I may ask?"

There was a long period of quiet before Alfred looked over at him, blue eyes seeming to pierce into him.

"Okay... So, when I was fifteen, I was on my first year here. It was near the end of it, about to be summer. The thing is, is that everything in my life was kind of going to shit... My grades were going down, my friend Davie died, my parents were on my ass, Arthur hated me at the time, and I didn't want to ask my friends for help. I mean, they all have their own problems. But damn it, I was tired of dealing with all this crap and having absolutely no control over my life. So I ran away from the school."

This was turning out to be an unexpected story. Arthur had hated Alfred? Who was Davie; anyway? Kiku wondered as he let the blond continue his story.

"I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I was going somewhere. I ended up here. And, I'm not suicidal or anything, but I realized that if I jumped off of this cliff, I could die. And there was something I had control over."

The American fell silent, uncharacteristically quiet as he stared down at the waters below.

"I'm glad that you didn't." Kiku said.

"Huh?" Alfred asked, surprised, glancing up at him.

"I'm glad that you didn't jump." he repeated.

Abruptly, Alfred smiled. "Me too. I would never have met you."

"And I would have been alone." Kiku replied, their eyes locked.

They were quite close on the edge of the cliff. They truly couldn't have been that far away. Kiku heard Alfred's breath hitch and knew he realized this too. The Japanese boy couldn't look away.

This was it. It was going to happen, right here. Kiku's first (and long-awaited) kiss was going to happen off campus, with someone his parents would never approve of.

And yet, he wanted it to happen _so badly_.

He watched as Alfred's eyes slid shut, the blond's mouth coming ever closer to his as the Japanese boy let his eyes close too.

It was going to happen, oh God, it was finally going to happen. Kiku's skin was tingling in excitement as he patiently awaited Alfred's mouth on his.

Abruptly, there was a loud crack of thunder. Because they were so close, Kiku heard Alfred's slight gasp and felt him move away.

_Why was the world against him?_

As the world lit up with lightning, the rain began to come down in a heavy downpour.

"I... I guess we have to go back now." Alfred said, looking startled as the rain cascaded down on him.

If Kiku wasn't so romantically frustrated right at the moment, he might've laughed at Alfred's bewilderment.

"It seems so." he agreed, and they turned to go back.

They walked for a while, and Kiku began to shiver. He was cold, wet, and disappointed, and he wanted nothing more than to go back to their dorm room and dry off. And kiss Alfred, but it didn't seem like that was happening anytime soon.

"Are you cold?" Alfred asked, catching him off guard. Glancing up, he realized the American was holding out his bomber jacket for Kiku to take. Alfred himself was simply clad in the white dress shirt and blue plaid pants used in their uniform, which were quickly becoming soaked, the shirt clinging to every ripple and ridge of the blond's defined abdomen.

He should decline, but Alfred looked so good, and it looked so warm... And it would probably smell of Alfred and be too big on him.

"Take it." Alfred urged him.

"Thank you." Kiku said, taking it and slipping it on. It did, in fact, smell of Alfred, and was already warmed from the American's body heat. The too-large jacket's sleeves covered his hands, and he pulled it tighter around him.

Looking up, he realized Alfred was staring at him, lips slightly parted as though in surprise. Although it was practically freezing, the blond's cheeks had a slight rosy tinge to them as he stared.

"Alfred? Are you okay?" Kiku asked.

The American appeared to snap out of it, looking as though he was inwardly chastising himself as he turned back around. "Yeah, sorry."

And now, Kiku got a good view of Alfred's behind, which he wasn't complaining about.

_Wait, no, don't think about that_, he urged himself.

Soon enough, they arrived back at the wall, and, although it took a few tries, they got back over.

Classes had long ended, but thankfully, there was no one in sight. Of course, no one in their right mind would stand out in the freezing rain.

They walked back to their dorm, Alfred's slight shivering not lost on Kiku. The Japanese boy smiled, recalling something Arthur had once said about Alfred always having to 'play the hero'. Even if it meant his own self-detriment, Alfred was constantly helping someone.

They arrived at their dorm room and Alfred stood in the center of it, sliding his wet pants and soaked shirt off.

_Why did he have to look so perfect?_

Kiku ripped his gaze away from Alfred, hurriedly tugging off the blond's jacket.

"Hey, Kiku, I'm gonna go take a shower, ok?" he asked, standing at the door to the bathroom. "unless you wanted to take one first...?"

"No, no, go ahead." Kiku told the American, flopping face first on his bed once Alfred was inside the bathroom.

"What am I going to do?" he groaned to himself as he heard the water turn on.

Unfortunately, the boom of the thunder held no answer for him.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hello! There isn't really a point to this chapter except that Dubstepnation and I wanted to _write it. _It's rather inappropriate, so if that's not your thing, you might not want to read this! It's not exactly essential to the plot except for the fact that it reveals a bit of America's feelings for Japan. It's a pretty short chapter, too. Enjoy~!_

* * *

It was two AM, and Kiku was up doing homework. He was so tired. He could feel his eyelids drooping, and he was holding back a yawn. Alfred had gone to sleep long ago. Kiku attempted to force himself to focus on graphing sins and cosines, but he felt his attention drifting.

He was about to give up completely and shove his textbook into his backpack when he heard a soft noise. It was quiet and guttural, and it came from Alfred's side of the room.

Cocking his head to the side, Kiku stood up, crossing the room. The American's blond hair was ruffled (as usual), and his cheeks were slightly red. Alfred was shifting in his sleep, another soft moan slipping past his slightly parted lips.

It was then that Kiku realized what was going on: Alfred was having a wet dream.

But what should Kiku do? The Japanese boy had never been in this sort of situation before. Should he wake Alfred? Should he leave him to his own devices?

As Kiku's tired brain pondered this, another noise escaped the blond. "Kiku."

The brunet froze. Was Alfred awake?

Glancing down, it was clear that he wasn't.

Was Alfred dreaming about... _him_?

Color flooded Kiku's cheeks as the American's pleasured noises grew louder, another few repetitions of his name coming out.

He _was _dreaming about him.

Kiku felt like a bad person as he watched Alfred shift in his sleep, the covers coming off and revealing his 'problem'.

What was he supposed to do?

He couldn't think of an answer. But seeing Alfred like this gave him a small thrill. _He_ was the one who had caused this. _He_ was the person Alfred was (quite literally) dreaming about.

As Alfred shuddered, the loudest groan yet escaping him, Kiku realized with slight embarrassment that the blond was finished.

The brunet hurriedly got into bed, turning off the light.

However, it wasn't lost on him when, five minutes later, there was a groan of, "Not _again_!" and a long sigh before the bathroom light flipped on and running water was heard.

Kiku was unsure of how to feel about this. Yes, he _wanted _Alfred. And it was obvious Alfred wanted him.

But would it work out?

The issue of whether he wanted to find out still floated in his mind as he drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hello! Thank you to the guest reviewer for the idea for this chapter! We decided to split it into two chapters, so I have to warn you that this chapter might leave you in suspense and for that I'm sorry, but I promise that things will turn out well! On that note, enjoy!_

* * *

It was Thursday afternoon, after classes. Kiku sat quietly in the library, studying for one of his upcoming tests. He couldn't believe it was October already. That meant he'd been at this school for two months already. He was rather surprised to find that he actually _liked _it here.

He blushed as his thoughts drifted to Alfred (who was actually one of the main reasons that he liked it here), then causing them to drift to last night's fiasco. The American had acted like everything was normal the next morning, but the words, "Not again!" kept floating in and out of Kiku's thoughts. Obviously, that had happened more than once... He blushed even harder upon thinking about that.

Did he _like_ Alfred?

As the brunet's mind drifted to his possible crush instead of the complicated literature he was _supposed_ to be thinking about, a certain Grecian appeared in his line of sight.

Heracles Karpusi. He was the Greek boy that was in the grade above him and Alfred. He and Kiku had had a couple of conversations before, mostly about cats, for some reason.

"Hi Kiku." the boy in question told him in his slow drawl.

"Hello, Heracles." Kiku told him. Secretly, he was hoping that Heracles didn't want to have another hour-long conversation about cats. Cats were pretty great, but after awhile the topic grew rather boring.

"I have a question for you." Heracles informed him.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Will you go out with me tomorrow night?"

Kiku blinked rapidly. That had been the very last thing he had been expecting to come out of Heracles' mouth. He didn't even really _like_ Heracles, exactly. As a friend, of course. But he didn't alight the tension Kiku felt when left alone with Alfred, which happened quite a lot. Thus, he was almost always in a state of-

Abruptly, the Japanese boy realized Heracles was still waiting for an answer, lazy green eyes locked onto him.

"Um, yes, certainly." he told the other, surprised at his own answer. Oh, he didn't even know what to wear, he had never _been_ on a date, and certainly not with another male-

"Great. I'll pick you up tomorrow night. We can go back to my room and order in." Heracles told him, cutting into his thoughts.

"Yes, sure." Kiku agreed as the Grecian walked away.

Apparently you could order in and not have to eat the mystery meat the cafeteria served. Kiku felt like their food should be much better, considering they went to a private school and paid tuition, but he supposed the money was going to other things. This made sense, considering that Alfred had had McDonald's on their first day.

* * *

The next night, Kiku stood in front of the mirror, nervously pushing his black hair around. He was dressed in a simple polo shirt with slacks. Was he overdressed? Was he underdressed? He didn't know.

As he fretted with his hair, which had abruptly decided to be rebellious like Alfred's, he heard a wolf whistle.

"What are _you_ all dressed up for?" Alfred asked, his nose no longer buried in a comic book as his eyes raked Kiku up and down, giving him a small shiver of excitement.

"Is it too much?!" he demanded, causing Alfred to raise his eyebrows.

"Uhh... No? Are you going somewhere?"

At Alfred's negation of his question, Kiku relaxed, managing to flatten his hair again as he replied absentmindedly, "I'm going on a date with Heracles."

There was silence for a beat too long, causing Kiku to glance up at Alfred. Countless emotions danced across the blond's expressive face: surprise, disbelief, hurt, anger, and then something similar to _jealousy_.

"Yeah?" Alfred asked, his tone sharp. Accusatory.

"... Yes." Kiku said, realizing what he had just done.

"So... Did he ask you out or did you ask him?" Alfred asked, his tone sounding forced.

"He asked me." Kiku replied, quickly turning back to the mirror so he wouldn't have to observe the negative emotions on Alfred's usually happy face.

What he was doing wasn't... _wrong_, was it? He had the right to go out with whoever he wanted...

"Right. Okay." Alfred said. Kiku didn't look at him, but his tone implied that it really wasn't okay.

Kiku was saved from answering by a sudden knock at the door, which he lunged to answer.

Standing behind it, wearing jeans and a hoodie (so he _was_ overdressed!) stood Heracles.

"Hi, Kiku." he said casually, hands tucked into his pockets.

"Hey, Heracles!" a loud voice announced from behind Kiku. It was Alfred, obviously making himself known in a rather obnoxious tone. Kiku felt a small twinge of annoyance. If Alfred was allowed to date Jose, he was allowed to date Heracles.

"Hi, Alfred." Heracles nodded to the American.

"Goodbye, Alfred." Kiku said, nudging Heracles out of his way before Alfred could say something potentially inflammatory.

"Yeah, okay." Alfred snapped, looking kind of like a large child having a temper tantrum as he glowered at the comic book in his hands.

Kiku closed the door on that sight, turning to Heracles once it was shut.

"Let's go, please." he told the Grecian, and they walked down the hall at a slow walk.

"Is he okay?" Heracles asked after a moment. "I've known him for two years so far and I've never seen him act like that except for when he and Ivan were fighting."

"He's fine. Just a little angry." Kiku told him as they stepped into the elevator to go up to the next floor.

"Oh, okay." Heracles agreed. "I ordered sushi. I figured that you might like it, since you're from Japan and all."

"Thank you." Kiku said. "I appreciate it."

They arrived at the door and Heracles unlocked it, stating, "I told Sadiq to get lost for the night."

"Thank you." Kiku repeated.

After they were in and seated on Heracles' bed, eating the sushi (which wasn't even close to the quality it was in Japan), the Grecian looked up at him.

"Why don't you tell me something about yourself? You're quite the topic, Kiku; it's not often that students transfer here after their freshman year. Do you like it here so far?"

"Um, I do like it so far. It's different from anything I've ever experienced. Everyone is very diverse and I learn new things every day. It's especially different from Japan, because we didn't get as much freedom there." the brunet answered.

"Mm. Interesting. Do you get along with Alfred? Because I know I don't get along with Sadiq."

"Yes, we get along. He's a very easy person to get along with. At least, in my opinion."

"Hm... He looked kind of mad when we left, though. Are you sure?"

"Well, we have our moments, just like everyone else. I'm sure he'll be over it by the time we get back."

"He seemed kind of... Jealous, actually." Heracles fixed his lazy gaze on Kiku, and Kiku abruptly felt like he had done something wrong. "Does he like you or something?"

"I- well- I don't know." he sputtered, before stubbornly stating, "But it doesn't matter, because I'm my own person and I can go out with who I want."

Okay, maybe he was still _a little_ resentful about Jose.

"Oh, okay."

It was as simple as that. Heracles simply accepted the answer, not attempting to dig deeper. He didn't question it.

After another hour or so of small talk, Heracles walked Kiku back to his room, stopping outside the door.

"Thank you, I had fun." Kiku said, his hand on the knob, before he realized Heracles had wrapped a gentle hand around his wrist.

"Me too." the older boy agreed, leaning down slowly.

Oh. _Oh_.

The moment of truth. This was going to be Kiku's first kiss, the one that had almost happened several times with Alfred.

Maybe he could practice on Heracles to be better at it for Alfred.

Wow, that certainly sounded self-absorbed and he certainly seemed (even to himself) like a user.

Kiku was so focused on his thoughts that he jumped when the Grecian's mouth made contact with his. He quickly closed his eyes. Was this what kissing was supposed to feel like? Because he didn't feel anything, no sparks. Not even when, after a moment, Heracles' tongue ran across his lower lip. He honestly felt as though he were watching it happen instead of experiencing it.

Abruptly, the contact was gone, causing Kiku to open his eyes. Heracles had seemed pretty into it, why would he stop now?

Then, Kiku realized they weren't alone.

It didn't matter whether there had been emotion or a spark, because suddenly Heracles was being slammed into the wall, getting the living shit beat out of him by none other than Alfred.

"Alfred! Stop!" Kiku said, slightly panicked. Alfred could get into a lot of trouble for this-

_Why was he concerned about Alfred getting in trouble, but not Heracles getting hurt?_

As soon as the words escaped Kiku's mouth, Alfred stopped, one hand still holding Heracles against the wall by the front of the older boy's hoodie, and the other still balled into a fist and pulled back.

After a moment, Alfred let him go, and Heracles slid down the wall, his lip busted and looking a bit battered.

But Kiku's attention wasn't on Heracles. It was on Alfred, who suddenly seemed a lot larger as he stood in front of him, a good five inches taller than him with darkened and blazing blue eyes and blood on his knuckles.

Kiku knew, deep down, that Alfred wouldn't hurt him. However, that didn't stop him from flinching when Alfred, voice raised, yelled, "What the fuck?!" at him.

And suddenly, Kiku felt a bit angry too. What right did Alfred have to beat the hell out of his date? And to act all self-righteous when he had done practically the same thing? At least he hadn't been dry-humping Heracles!

"What?" the brunet replied harshly. "You didn't have to beat him up!"

Right after Kiku said that, he remembered all of the times they had nearly kissed, and the way the now furious blue eyes had looked at him so adoringly. The Japanese boy felt all the anger melt right out of him.

"Yes I did! You don't _fucking get it_!" Alfred shouted as he slammed his fist into the nearby wall. Kiku jumped, surprised there wasn't a hole left in the wall as the American (whose knuckles were now even more bloody) turned back to him. "You're so goddamn _oblivious_!"

"Wait, Alfred, please, calm down!" Kiku exclaimed.

"Leave me alone!" Alfred yelled back, before seeming to realize that they were yelling and people were probably going to come running soon. Glancing down at his scarlet-covered knuckles, he repeated, in a much lower voice, "Just... Leave me alone."

"Alfred..." Kiku said, but the American had already turned and was walking away, presumably to go to the nurse. He left Kiku and Heracles alone, and Kiku turned back to the fallen Grecian.

The Japanese boy knelt down to help the older male up, realizing his own hands were shaking as he asked the other, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine... I think I know what he was mad about now." Heracles added, standing up with a slight grunt of pain.

"You do?"

"Yeah... If I were you, I'd tell him how I felt, because I can see you feel the same way." the Grecian told him seriously. Oddly, he didn't seem all that angry about being beaten up.

Before Kiku could reply, Heracles was gone.

Kiku looked down the now empty hallway, feeling just as empty as it at the moment.

"What am I going to do?" he mumbled to himself.


End file.
